AUSTRALIA'S StayWell Hospitality Group will debut its first Indian property in Hyderabad come May. The 82-room Leisure Inn hotel will be located in the city centre, the company's first step in an ambitious US$50 million expansion plan.

StayWell – which operates the four-star Park Regis and three-star Leisure Inn brands – wants to establish 50 hotels in India by 2017, with 60 per cent under Park Regis and the rest, Leisure Inn.

Following Hyderabad, the Group will launch properties in Greater Noida, Raipur and Goa by mid-2014. StayWell also intends to expand its footprint to Chandigarh, Pune, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai.

All StayWell hotels will be a mix of three business models that the company employs in other global markets – a third will be management contracts, a third, lease agreements and a third, with equity involved.

Rohit Vig, managing director for India, StayWell Hospitality Group, said: “India has a growing annual travelling population of 650 million, and one of the largest, growing middle classes in the world, meaning opportunities for accommodation providers are very apparent.

“StayWell offers recognised brands in the three- and four-star hotel space with established systems and hotel networks – something that is lacking in the Indian market.”

Arun Anand, managing director, Midtown Travels, welcomed StayWell’s entry into the Indian market. “Even though there are many hotels in the mid-market segment, StayWell’s entry into the market will provide one more international option to travellers who are looking for value for money propositions.”

StayWell Hospitality Group currently has 35 hotels with 4,000 rooms under its umbrella in Australia, Asia-Pacific, the UK and the Middle East.